Glück auf!

The withdrawal from coal mining and the phasing out of nuclear energy is a watershed for mining and energy production in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Germany as a whole – yet this double withdrawal does not spell the end for the energy sector or for the innovative capacity of this region. Though the exit from nuclear energy will certainly cause problems in some areas, the restructuring process taking place as part of the energy transition will create real opportunities for Germany’s number-one ‘energy state’. Global demand for energy, and more particularly for intelligent and efficient energy production technologies, continues to grow. And it is mining that provides the basis for the energy industry and the expansion and redevelopment of the infrastructure that goes with it.